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Reverse Retro Night | PREVIEW: NJD @ MTL

Sam Gerber

GAME DAY PREVIEW | Montreal Canadiens vs New Jersey Devils: Preview, TV, Start Time, Statistical Match-up, Projected Lines, Starting Goalies, Keys to Victory, Habs Tickets

Game Preview 

A Look Back

It was a wild back and forth game where the Habs completed the comeback in overtime. There were several highlight reel goals for both teams but it was a strong character win for the Habs, who showed they are never out of a game. After the Habs tied the game on a late third period power-play, it was off to overtime where Kaiden Guhle made a great pass creating a two-on-one as Mike Hoffman finished the play on the back door with the feed from Kirby Dach.

Last game: MTL 5  PIT 4  F/OT

For a complete game recap: Hoffman: OT Hero | RECAP: PIT @ MTL

Players to Watch

  • Kirby Dach
    The 21-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down scoring twice against Vancouver. Dach has been flourishing while playing the wing with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.  We look forward to Dach’s continuing success when he is returned to centre.
  • Arber Xhekaj
    Xhekaj has quickly become a fan favorite. Fans enjoy his physical edge while Arber has chipped in with four points in 15 games. But paired with Joel Edmundson and playing on his off side, cracks have begun to show in his play. With Mike Matheson’s return on the horizon, it will be interesting to see where Xhekaj will play.
  • Sean Monahan
    Monahan continues to fly under the radar in Montreal, but quietly had a great game and continues to provide great depth for the Habs. While he may be only on pace for just over 40 points, Monahan should get better as the season continues which should benefit the Habs greatly when the trade deadline arrives.

Keys to Victory

  • Win battles
    A few goals last game were because of weak plays along the boards. The Habs need to be strong and physical. Simply, pinning a guy to the boards prevents him from moving the puck to the slot and allows the Habs to be well positioned whether or not they win 50/50 pucks.
  • Win special teams
    The Habs special teams are starting to become consistent and it’s great to see. The Habs have a longshot chance at being wildcard team and a strong special teams will go a long way to getting one of those spots.
  • Use speed
    Last game the Habs attacked with speed and it led to the opening goal and the overtime winner. If the Habs consistently use their speed they will have a chance to win every night.
Statistical Matchup for Game 16
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC | November 15, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, MSGSN

2022-23  statistics
DEVILS CANADIENS
24 (3rd) Points (rank) 17 (17th)
12-3-0 Record 8-6-1
W9 Streak W3
9-1-0 Last 10 5-4-1
3.67 (5th) GF/G (rank) 3.07 (18th)
2.53 (21st) GA/G (rank) 3.20 (18th)
19.6 (22nd) PP% (rank) 16.3 (26th)
80.0 (14th) PK% (rank) 80.8 (12th)
54.9  Faceoff % 51.1
Pre-game Quotes
Brendan Gallagher
  • “It’s tough to mess around with the Habs jerseys too much but I think when you do it with the Expos, it means something to the city and it’s a good look as well.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Tatar – Hischier – Zetterlund
Sharangovich – Hughes – Bratt
Boqvist – Haula – Mercer
Wood – McLeod – Bastian		 Caufield – Suzuki – Dach
Hoffman – Dvorak – Gallagher
Dadonov – Monahan – Anderson
Pezzetta – Evans – Slafkovsky
Defensemen
Siegenthaler – Hamilton
Graves – Marino
Smith – Severson		 Guhle – Savard
Edmundson – Xhekaj
Harris – Kovacevic
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Bahl, Holtz
Injured: Bernier, Blackwood, Palat		 Scratched: Wideman
Injured: Matheson (abdominal strain), Heineman (finger), Byron (hip), Price (knee), Drouin (upper-body), Armia (upper-body)
Goalies
Vitek Vanacek Jake Allen
Record: 6-1-0
GAA: 2.33
Sv%: .909
SO: 1
Alternate: Akira Schmid		 Record: 5-5-0
GAA: 3.19
Sv%: .902
SO: 0
Alternate: Sam Montembeault
 Game Expectations
The Habs will look to keep their three-game win streak alive as they go up against the Devils who are looking for their tenth straight win. The Devils have had one of the best starts to the season and are led by Jesper Bratt who has 19 points in 15 games. The Habs will have to find a way to shut him down but also cannot forget about many of the Devils’ young players. This is going to be a very exciting game as both teams are built very similar and want to keep their win streaks alive.

Bottom Line

The Devils don’t give up a lot of goals which could make it a tough night for the Habs. The Habs will need to be relentless in their attack and not make it easy for the Devils netminder.
 Video Highlights

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